Improvement in machines fob heading cartridge-cases



T. J. POWERS.

MACHINE FOR HEADING CARTRIDGE GASES.

No; 5 940, Patented June 18. 1867 me "cams Perms cu. PHOTOLITHOH vmsmns'ron, n. c.

I guiinh tatrs gaunt @ffi TIMOTHY l. POWERSL OENEW YORK, N Y., ASSIGNOR TO J. PJFITCHND J. R. VAN VECHTEN, OF SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent Na.-'65,940, dated "Jane 18, 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR READING CARTRIDGE-GASES. o

Ell; fittzhnlt rzfrrrgt in in flgrssirfirri fiaient ant making 112I i at it: same.

.TO ALL WE -OM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, 'TIMOTHi' POWERS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented certain .new and useful improvements in Cartridge-Heading Machines or Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing-which forms part of this specification, and in which-- v I I Figure 1 represents a cartridge-headerembracing my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal vertical section of the'same, and

.Figure 3 is-a transverse vertical section thereof.

Figure'4 is a view of thesecti'onal die, with its arms or levers and slide detached.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures.

The object of iny invention is to form the heads of cartridge-shells by distending, upsetting, and swelling out the closed ends of the shells, as and after they have been drawn into shell-blanks. And the nature of.niy invention consists in heading the shell by means ofa sectional or divided die, so constructed and operating, in combination with a header and shell-carrying punch or mandrel, or series of the batteries that the die need only come into operation to gripe or hold the shell at the time, and whilst the header is brought to act upon the closed end of the shell to swell out or form the head; 'or, if the header be stationary, for instance, whilst the'shell is forced'up against the header, and whereby, in either cascpwear and heating of the die are avoided. And my invention further consist of an automatic gauge or shell-adjuster, acting in, concert with .the mandrels on which the-shells-are placed, tiis"ecurer the closed'cnds' of the latter being brought to their proper distance relatively to the ends or poiuts ofj the mandrels, irrespective of the length of the shells,'for the purpose of making uniform or of proper thickness and strength the heads of the shells. Likewise my invention consists in the combination with these or certain of thes e devices of an automatic shell take-01f; also in othercomhinations of certain working parts. r

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will now proceed to describe it.

Referring to theaccompanying drawing, A represents the frame and table of a machine on which is mounted a. standard, Rand block or platform C. D is a revolving driving-shaft, that,by means of a crank, a, and pitma n 6, serves to give motion to a vertical'slide, E, working in the standard B, and with which the header and sectional die are shown connected. On the driving-shaft .D is a spur-wheel or pinion,'c, meshing into a wheel on a counter-shaft, F, that carries a cylindrical cam, G, made up of a groove varying from a spiral to a straight and again into a spiral rim or form, and within which fitorgear respectively, as they come over-it, p'ins e that project from a disk,'f, connected by a vertical shaft, g, witha horizontal mandrel table, H, which travels on or over the block or platform ,0, said cam-gear serving to'give-ap intermittent revolving motion tothe mandrel table H, and to hold it stationary during. the 'iutermissions in its rotary movement. The shell-mandrels k are arranged in a series on the face of the table H, points upward, at an equal distance from the centre of the table and from' each other. They mayor may not be formed with a, shoulder for the openend of the shell to but upon.- The vertical reciprocating slide E has secured to it by, say, aprojection, 2', an automatic gauge or shelL adjuster- I, capable by means of a screw-thread cut on it of being regulated to any particular height or set; also a similarly adjustable heading-bolt, block, or header J, and shell take-elf K, which latter is made hollow and provided with spring nippersjj, arranged on either side, and working into the hollow socket of the take-oii'. The shell-adjuster and take-oil are shown arranged on either side of the header, andso that when the header J is over one of the shell-mandrels h,-.the shell-adjuster I is over another of them, and the take-ofi' over a third. Within or on the face of the slide E is a way, I for op eration in or on it-oi' a second vertical slide, L,. that has projecting from its top in-the rear a lip, l, which works or slides ,up and down within a fixed way, M, provided at itsbottom with a lip or stop, m, and having outlets or openings n on either side near its bottom over the stop m.- The slide E is also provided with a stop, a, which projects through a slot, 11, in the second slide These two slides E and L' conjointly reciprocate up and down for a portion of the stroke of the main slide E, and also have anindependent action by the second slide L, remaining-stationary at intervals, which gives to 'it an intermittent motionflmd which is produced by the lips or steps and slot above described, as will be hereinafter more fully explained. Iivoted or connected by fulcrum-pins r to the slide L, are levers g carryingor forming, by a projection at their lower ends, a. sectional die, N N, which is closed at intervals by blocks or checks 8 a forming part of the projections 2' of the slide E, and opened at intervals by an upper'bevelled format-ion to the top of the stop 0, which latter not only projects through the slotp of the slide L, but also into or through a slot, u, in or lying between the levers q. The drawn shells or shell-blanks being placed one by one, in succession, closed ends uppermost, on the mandrels 7L, and motion being communicated to the driving-shaft D, the intermittently rotating-table H will first oonvey, say, one of the shells, (the action upon eachone vin succession being similar,) under the shell-gauge or adjuster I, which coming down upon the closed end of the shell by the descent of the slide E, while the table H is at rest, "will adjust the closed end of the-shell to its proper distance relatively to the end or point of the mandrel, irrespective of the length of the she'll. By thismeans,,whether' through neglect'or otherwise, should the shell not be placed by theoperative sufiiciently down upon the mandrel, which, even with a shou'lder'on the latter for the bottom or open end of the shell to rest upon, is sometimes the case, it (the shell) will be automatically adjusted to its proper place relatively to the upper end of the mandrel. The shoulder on the mandrel may, if desired, as before observed, be dispensed with, and a longer or shorter shell be used on the same mandrel or series of mandrels without altering the result or exactness of their automatic adjustment. This contrivancc willobviate the defect which is so commonto cartridge-shells, of the surplus metal lying above the ends of the mendrels,.caused by an irregular placing of them on the mandrels, or wrong position of the shoulders thereon relatively to the length of the shells, coming into or being worked out into the heads to an extent that, when ,the shells are exploded, causes their heads to be ruptured or torn from the bodies of the shells, so that there is no hold for withdrawing the exploded shell from its position in the fire 'arm.

After this operation of automatically adjusting the shell to the mandrel has been performed, the slide E rises carrying the shell'adjuster I up with it, ready in the next descent togauge the succeeding shell. The

v table H then takes another forward movement, which brings the gauged shell on its mandrel under the header .7, at the same time putting the next shell in the rearunder the shell-adjuster. The slide'E now descends to head the adjusted shell resting under it, but prior to heading, and while the slide E isdescending, the-divided or sectional die N N, with its section open or extended, comes down with it till the lip l of the second slide" L comes in contact with the stop 'm, which arrests the'furth'er .downwardmovement of said slide with its sectional die N N, while the mainslide E continues its down stroke, causing the cheeks 8 a of the projection i to press upon and against the outsides of the die sections N N to gently close them around the shell on the mandrel, as the header J in the continued descent of the slide E comes down upon the closed end of the shell to head it,

' the stop 0 travelling in the slots 2 and u, during the descent of the slide E, as. the second slide 'L remains stationary.,. The head having been formed on the shell, the slide E moves upwards, carryingthe header with it. until the. cheeks s s come above the die sections N, when the bevelled upper end of the stop 'o, as it 'nearly' reaches the top of the slots u and p, acts as a wedge between the levers q and" opens the die sections to free them from the shell. In the further upward movement of the slide-E, the stop a, acting against the upper end of the slot 17, carries the slide L and die sections up along with it out of the way of the headed shell s,-for the table H in its next intermittent movement to bring it under the take-oil K, the lips n of the levers 9 travel ling in the fixed way M, and serving to keep the die sections entended while thus travelling upward ready for another similar action on the succeeding shell in the next descent of the-slide or slides. The headed shell is now conveyed by the action of the table H under the take-off K, which, coming down over the shell, causes its spring-nippers j to clip the shell under the head, so that in the next ascent of the slide K. they will lift the shell off the mandrel. By griping. the shells on their mandrcls by the sectional die, N N, the shell will be restrained from buckling during the process of heading it asis now the case with a solid (lie when worn and become too I large or easy, especially where a. shoulder is used on the mandrr for the shell to rest upon, the divided die being free from thatlongitudinal rub or friction on or off the shell in drawing it in or out, which has such a wearing effect upon the die. I

The modifications in arrangement of details which naturally suggest themselves of this, my invention, it is, unnecessary for me-to here describe.

What I claim as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isg 1. In cartridge-heading machines, the combination with the header J and shell-mandrel or series of shellmandrels h, arranged and operating together substantially in the manner described, of the sectional or divided die N, arranged to gripe or close round the shells 'on the mandrel or mandrels before, and whilst the shell is being upset and headed, and afterward to open for release of the latter, essentially as specified.

2. The combination with the shell-mandrels' and header of an automatic gauge or shell-adjuster,arranged so as .to set the closed end of the shell to its proper position relatively to the upper or outer end of the mandrel in advance of the action of the header upon the shell, substantially as and for the purpose herein specified.

3. In combination with a series of shell-mandrels and a suitable header, a shell take off, K, constructed to operate essentially as described, or in any other equivalent nztanneiy 4. The combination of the vertical slide E, divided or sectional die N N, and header 3 with the locking and unlocking devices operating upon the sectional die, all constructeil'and arranged substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth. 7 i r 5. The fixed way M, in combination with the levers q for closing the sectional die by the movement of the slide E, which carries the said die, substantially as specified.

6. The slide L, and stop 0, in combination with each other, and with the levers q fo opening the die and moving it out of the way of the header,-essentially as herein set forth.

4 I TIMOTHY I. IQWERS.

Witnesses:

J. W. Goonns, G. W. Rnnn. 

